Ballet & Perfomance Camp

Perfect for your aspiring performer who wants to spend all day dancing, acting & singing! A diverse weekly schedule will include: ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, yoga, voice, choreography, acting, dance masterworks and more. Each afternoon will include rehearsal for our summer theatrical show.

The perfect camp for the 7-18 year old who wants to spend his/her summer performing. Students attend class from 9:30am-3:30pm daily with your choice of 1 to 3 weeks in length. The “Ballet & Performance Camp” follows the public school cut off and is appropriate for children entering 2nd grade or higher (1st grade with prior experience in dance or theatre) in the fall of 2023.

Daily class begins with a warm up class in the morning followed by a ballet class and pre pointe or pointe work. There is an hour break for lunch where students will watch videos of dance and theatre performances. Afternoon classes will follow with the class style changing daily: jazz, hip-hop, modern, yoga, voice, choreography, acting, singing, theatre masterworks and more. Each afternoon will include rehearsals for our summer performance which will include acting scenes, singing and dance routines from broadway shows as well as classical ballet numbers. Students will have an active part in their costume design and construction and learn the art of stage make up design and application.

Morning Ballet Only - Students who are short on time may choose to join our morning ballet class only from 9:30-noon. Each class begins with a warm up and half hour of stretching. A full ballet barre and center is then followed by pointe or pre-pointe work. Dancers will learn ballet terminology, correct ballet body alignment and weight placement. We encourage our dancers to listen and respond to their own unique bodies, as opposed to traditional ballet teaching methods that do not appreciate the individual child. Understanding dance leads to self-corrections and a more efficient, self-confident dancer.

Afternoon Performance (included in the full day price) - Students will learn routines in many theatrical styles to be included in a summer varitey show. An acting scene from "Mary Poppins", a dance routine from "Billy Elliot', a chorus number from "Beauty and the Beast", are just a few of the possibilties for this summer. Students will learn about costume design, and be asked to design their own costume. With the help of our large costume stock, students will be allowed to create their costume designs for the show. Students will learn about stage make up and given their own make up kit to keep (make up kit fee included in the camp price). Students will design their character’s facial features and practice the make up application. After 3 weeks, this camp will have a performance, where students will be able show what they learned through dance, singing, acting, costume and make up. Parents will receive 2 free tickets to the performance.

• Acting – Acting classes will focus on how to express an emotion or story line using traditional scenes and acting games. Mimes, acting games, facial expressions and group activities will help students feel more comfortable acting.
• Voice - Our vocal classes will help you improve your voice through proper breathing, posture, tone production, intonation, diction, phrasing and ear training. Our classes will help you gain confidence and consistency in your singing. Summer classes will teach popular songs and reading sheet music. Copies of the sheet music will be included in the camp cost.
• Jazz & Hip-Hop - Our summer jazz classes will cover any number of jazz styles including lyrical, street jazz, funk, and hip-hop. Techniques will be based on the masters who created the styles; Charles Kelly, Gus Giordano, Matt Mattox and Bob Fosse. Classes are structured in the traditional jazz format; isolations, stretching, dance technique, progressive movements, combination or dance routine. All classes will include appropriate body movements as well as covering body placement, technique, stylization, rhythm and musicality.
• Modern - Our summer modern classes give dancers the opportunity to explore moving at different levels and planes in space, using their spine fully (in all directions), and exposure to a wide variety of musical styles. Students will periodically explore creating their own dance compositions or creating variations of the combinations they learn in class. An emphasis on correct body mechanics (alignment) is included so the students can prevent injuries as they progress in their dance training. Classes are structured in the traditional modern format starting with a warm up followed by floor combination and travelling across the floor or creative explorations.
• Yoga – Our summer yoga classes will follow the YogaWorks method, which offers the heat building flow of Ashtanga with the focus of alignment from Iyengar. Students will gain the benefits of increased flexibility, muscle conditioning and the restorative effects of yoga. Classes will be structured in the traditional YogaWorks format: opening, warm up, standing poses, peak poses, cool down and Savasana (rest section).
• Choreography – Students will learn the basics of choreography and its creative process. Part of each class will include the terminology of choreography: floor patterns, canons, themes, motifs, rhythm, timing, interpretation and story lines. Class will finish with students creating their own group or solo dance piece.
• Theatre Masterworks – Learning the stories of theatre and dance, helps students better understand the art form they love to perform. What is a proscenium arch and theatre in the round? Who was Marius Petipa and what did he add to dance? Who are the main characters in the show “42nd Street”? When and how did modern begin? These are the questions students will find answers to in our masterworks class. Each class will help bring theatre and dance to life. Videos, pictures and crafts will allow dancers to feel closer to these theatrical greats.